| Dexcom Seven Plus | | Print | |
| Thursday, 01 January 2009 | |
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Steven V. Edelman, MD
We have seen advancements in continuous glucose monitoring technology over the past several years in all three commercially available CGM devices (DexCom SEVEN, Abbott Navigator, and Medtronic Paradigm) in terms of reliability and other features that make day-to-day diabetes management issues easier and safer. The new DEXCOM SEVEN PLUS system has improved overall accuracy, is more responsive to fingerstick calibrations, there are more views and analysis tools for the sensor data, and the system is designed to have fewer data gaps. It also has SenSync technology, which is a communication link for working with future technologies such as insulin pumps. New Features Trend arrows and optional alerts The “home” screen now shows glucose trend arrows in addition to the glucose trend line graph and values. At a glance, you can see if the glucose values are stable (changing between 1 and -1 mg/dl per min), rising or falling too quickly (2mg/dl and 3 mg/dl per minute). This helps you make decisions—to give yourself more insulin on the way up or carbohydrates on the way down BEFORE skyrocketing or crashing, which is so important in order to avoid the roller coaster of diabetes. The SEVEN PLUS also includes optional alarms that can be set to notify you if you are rising or falling quickly. More time display options You now can see 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours of glucose trends on a line graph. The 3-hour screen is the “home” screen. I think the 1, 3 and 6-hour will be the most valuable, however some folks like the 12 and 24-hour display. There will also be a new version of Data Manager software for download to your computer with new features and reports to help you and your caregiver analyze the numbers. This should be available by late spring. Alert snoozing This new optional alert gives you the choice to be notified at predetermined time intervals if you are above or below your upper and lower glucose limits. For example, my upper limit is set at 180 mg/dl and if my values cross over that level, a vibration alert occurs every 2 hours until I have fallen into the desirable range. I can also adjust this alert and all of the other alerts for bedtime hours. Events entry It is now possible to enter events such as insulin doses, carbohydrates consumed and concurrent illnesses, which will help when reviewing the glucose values and trying to make heads or tails of things. Reimbursement for CGM is improving rapidly and is currently approved for people on multiple daily injections or insulin pumps with management problems, such as hypoglycemia unawareness and excessive glucose fluctuations, or for pregnancy and other situations where static glucose testing is not enough to ensure adequate and safe glucose control. For those with a current SEVEN System there will be an upgrade program that will start in April. More information on the DEXCOM SEVEN PLUS can be found at www.dexcom.com.
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